Recognizing the 35th anniversary of the enactment of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Concurrent Resolution 329, which recognizes the 35th anniversary of the enactment of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA.

Thirty-five years ago, President Gerald Ford signed the Education for All Handicapped Children Act into law. This historic legislation, now known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, was a major milestone in the quest to end the chronic exclusion and miseducation of students with exceptional needs. More than any other law to date, this legislation helped open the door to fairness and access for millions of children with disabilities and paved the way to greater educational access.

As recent as 40 years ago, most States excluded students with disabilities from public schools. All that began to change in 1971. In PARC v. Pennsylvania, a class-action lawsuit filed in my home State, the U.S. District Court ruled, for the first time, that the State had a legal duty to educate students with intellectual disabilities, and that the U.S. Constitution guarantees of equal protection and due process prevent schools from excluding disabled children solely on the basis of their disabilities. This monumental decision was followed by similar decisions in 27 States and the District of Columbia.

During this time and shortly thereafter, Congress amended the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to include funds for the education of disabled children and created a Bureau of Education for the Handicapped within the U.S. Office of Education. It also boosted funding for States under the Education for the Handicapped Act of 1970 and required States to detail their plans for achieving the goal of full educational opportunities for disabled students. It also passed section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which granted specific protections to disabled students. But it wasn't until 1975, with the passage of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, that States and school districts were required to provide a free appropriate public education to students with disabilities.

Under the law, each child must have an Individualized Education Program, or IEP, that details the range of services to be provided and where a student's education is to take place, with a heavy preference for the mainstreaming of disabled children whenever possible. The law also mandates that districts establish procedures for ensuring that parents are involved in the development of each IEP and they have a voice in the district's decisions about the range of services it will provide.

In 2004, Congress passed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act to reauthorize the law. During this latest renewal, we worked to strengthen the focus on academic achievement through the development of the child's IEP, gave parents more control over the education of their children, fostered better communication between parents and school district officials, and supported high-quality special education teachers.

While there is still much work that remains, including meeting the Federal

commitment to provide 40 percent of the excess cost of educating students with disabilities, there is no doubt that IDEA has been an important part of ensuring that students with disabilities are able to become full and productive members of society.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support House Concurrent Resolution 329.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 329) recognizing the 35th anniversary of the enactment of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975.

Mr. Speaker, I request 5 legislative days during which Members may revise and extend and insert extraneous material on House Concurrent Resolution 329 into the Record.

I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Concurrent Resolution 329, which recognizes the 35th anniversary of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975, later renamed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. This historic statute guarantees that all children, regardless of the nature of their disability, have the right to a free, appropriate public education.

Prior to IDEA, many children with disabilities were placed in segregated institutions with no expectation for success. As a result of IDEA, children with disabilities have been increasingly included in general education settings and have had the opportunity to receive the same education as their non-disabled peers.

Over the years, the original bill has been amended several times to bolster educational opportunities for children with disabilities. An amendment in 1986 created preschool grant programs for children ages 3 to 5 and early intervention programs for those under the age of 3.

In 1997 IDEA was again amended to ensure that students with disabilities have access to the general education curriculum and are fully included in State assessments. In 2004, all students with disabilities were guaranteed to receive an education that considers their transition to higher education, employment and independent living.

Currently, IDEA serves about 350,000 infants and toddlers, 700,000 preschoolers, and 5.9 million children ages 6 through 21. In Hawaii nearly 18,000 students receive IDEA services in grades K-12. Since the enactment of IDEA, the number of students with disabilities graduating from high school with a regular diploma and enrolling in college has increased dramatically. However, we still face challenges in providing a free and appropriate education to children with disabilities, and student outcomes remain too low.

As we celebrate the successes of IDEA, we must continue to improve access to free and appropriate education for students with disabilities. We must ensure that all students are held to high expectations and have the opportunity to succeed.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my fellow Members for cosponsoring this legislation and again express my support for House Concurrent Resolution 329, which recognizes the 35th anniversary of the enactment of the Education for all Handicapped Children Act of 1975, also known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Once again, I urge all of my colleagues to support this resolution, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Madam Speaker, unfortunately, I was unable to be present in the Capitol for all votes on Thursday, November 18, 2010. However, had I been present, I would have voted as follows: ``yea'' on the Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass S. 3774, Extending the deadline for Social Services Block Grant expenditures of supplemental funds appropriated following disasters occurring in 2008; ``yea'' on the Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass H. Con. Res. 329, Recognizing the 35th anniversary of the enactment of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975; ``yea'' on the Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass H. Res. 1677, Condemning the Burmese regime's undemocratic upcoming elections on November 7, 2010.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the ordering of the yeas and nays be vacated with respect to the motion to suspend the rules and adopt House Concurrent Resolution 329 to the end that the motion be considered as adopted in the form considered by the House on Tuesday, November 16, 2010.

Madam Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.